Phone +49 9441 682070 | Country Germany | |
 | ||
Designations Baudenkmal (listed monument) Address Befreiungshallestraße 3, 93309 Kelheim, Germany Hours Closed now Wednesday9AM–4PMThursday9AM–4PMFriday9AM–4PMSaturday9AM–4PMSunday9AM–4PMMonday9AM–4PMTuesday9AM–4PM Similar Donaudurchbruch bei Weltenburg, Weltenburg Abbey, The Walhalla, Altmühltal, Burg Prunn | ||
The Befreiungshalle ("Hall of Liberation", [bəˈfʀaɪ̯ʊŋsˌhalə]) is a Neoclassical monument on the hill Michelsberg above the town of Kelheim in Bavaria, Germany. It stands upstream of Regensburg on the river Danube at the confluence of the Danube and the Altmühl, i.e. the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. It was commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to commemorate the victory over Napoleon in the Befreiungskriege of 1813-15.
Contents
Die befreiungshalle auf dem michaelsberg in kelheim
History
King Ludwig I of Bavaria ordered the Befreiungshalle to be built in order to commemorate the victories against Napoleon during the Wars of Liberation that lasted from 1813 to 1815.
The construction was started in 1842 by Friedrich von Gärtner in a mixture of Neoclassical and Christian styles. It occurred on Michelsberg, in a place previously occupied by a part of the ruins of a pre-historic fortification or town, thought by some to have been Alcimoennis. At the behest of the King, Leo von Klenze later altered the plans and completed the building in 1863. The ceremonial opening took place on 18 October 1863 – the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Nations (Völkerschlacht) near Leipzig.
The following dictum by King Ludwig I, embedded into the marble floor, commemorates the occasion of the construction of the Befreiungshalle:
MOECHTENDIE TEUTSCHENNIE VERGESSEN WASDEN BEFREIUNGSKAMPFNOTHWENDIG MACHTEUND WODURCH SIEGESIEGT.(Maythe Germansnever forget whatmade necessarythe Struggle for Freedomand by what means theywon.)This inscription of dedication is to be found above the ornamented door frame of the entrance portal:
DEN TEUTSCHENBEFREIUNGSKAEMPFERNLUDWIG IKOENIG VON BAYERN(To the GermanLiberation FightersLudwig IKing of Bavaria)For the celebration of the first stone laying on 19 October Ludwig I had written a poem dedicated to the soldiers who had fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Joseph Hartmann Stutz had set it to music:
Today
The hall is open to the public. However, restoration work on the façade is ongoing and will continue until the end of 2017. The upper exterior gallery is currently closed to visitors.